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18 September 2012

T.W.O. - Yamaha Y125 Moegi Concept

From the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show; a retro-styled concept from Yamaha. Their Y125 Moegi is a lightweight motorcycle designed after the iconic 1955 Yamaha YA-1. Its 125cc SOHC four-stroke single cylinder engine does an astounding 188 mpg.

The YA-1 was Nippon Gakki‘s (later Yamaha) first motorcycle. Like the Moegi, it had a 125cc single, albeit a two-stroke. It sold at a rate of about 200 per month and was immediately entered in the 3rd Mt. Fuji Ascent Race and the 1st Asama Highlands Race, both of which the little Yamaha won.

The YA-1′s distinctive burgundy & white paint scheme was patterned after the chestnut coat of a horse and developed by a team from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. It set itself apart from the typically black bikes of the day and garnered the nickname akatombo, or red dragonfly.
The Moegi wasn't painted in the iconic colors of the YA-1, instead it’s white finish is intended to give it an air of lightness. It weights just 176lbs, 33lbs less than the YA-1.